A Heartfelt "Thank you" and Steady Progress

I received a gift a few days ago that brought tears to my eyes.  We know a college student (who obviously doesn't have much money) who regularly contributes as she can to our boy's homecoming.   She has a big ole heart for the orphan and puts it into practical action.  This time her little sister watched as she was putting her gift into an envelope for us.  This little girl is only six, but was herself an orphan just a little over a year ago and knows first hand how great it is to have a family who loves her.  When she figured out what her sister was doing, she insisted that she wanted to contribute too.  So she took money out of her own savings and gave it to us to help get Isaac home.  Folks, that is GOLD!  The amount given by these two girls isn't large in the world's eyes.  But the spirit in which it was given, and the sacrifice it represents touched me so much.  They truly illustrated Matthew 6:21, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  Thank you, girls!  May God bless you richly for the care and love you've shown to our Isaac.

This last week has been a very busy one.  The unexpected arrival of the hard copy of our LOA last Monday triggered a flurry of activity.  It apparently took our agency by surprise also as our referral paperwork wasn't even here yet!  They like to have it completed, notarized and returned to them by the time our LOA is issued. Ethan took a half day off work on Tuesday so we could complete these very important papers, and over night them to our agency.

Perhaps the most important of the bunch was the i800 immigrations forms.  These set in process our intention to declare Isaac - specifically -  as our immediate relative.  The i800 was sent on its way from our agency on Wednesday, and so we wait - again!  Most people have the approval in about two weeks.  It took nearly a month last year with our girls (we've never been the "average" wait time where USCIS is involved), so I'm not counting on that two week timetable.  But, hopefully we'll have an approval in a few weeks, anyway.  Once that approval is received our Article 5 paperwork is initiated at the National Visa Center.  We are getting down to the last few steps!

Since our LOA has been issued, our agency now allows us to send a care package.  I'm trying to gather photos (and my thoughts) to send Isaac a letter.  BUT, I really want to include a photo of his room. So this week has also included a lot of moving things OUT of the guest room to prepare it for Isaac.  I am finished painting, but there is still lots of work to do.  Maybe I'd better send a letter and photos now and again later? 

Another thing back in the works (finally!) is the ramp.  We waited literally for weeks for the county to come to inspect the holes that were dug for the posts that will support the ramp.   Then our area was hit with REALLY cold weather.  I got a phone call this morning that the crew is coming tomorrow to pour the concrete and set the posts.  Yay!  All around, there is steady progress towards Isaac's homecoming.  I can hardly wait!

LOA!!!

Wow, what a day!  Our i800a approval to our Supplement 3 arrived at last - just a week before it expired!  This extends our approval into 2015 and also updates our records to say that Ruth has married and no longer lives at home.  That was an exciting find in the mailbox!

A few minutes later I heard from our China case manager that we were Match Reviewed, meaning that the computer system was showing that our LOA had been issued.  Ok, NOW I am excited.

This was followed up just a few minutes later with a phone call saying that our hard copy LOA had actually ARRIVED.  Oh boy!  NOW we are ecstatic!  Tonight will be a crazy whirlwind of completing immigration papers so we can get everything back to our agency tomorrow.

We are looking at probably 10 - 12 weeks before travel!

Manifesto for the New Year

A manifesto is a published verbal declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer.

Ever notice how life seems to whizzzzzz by?  It seems as though those things that are important get crowded out by the urgent.  This became so very clear to me yesterday.  My mother died.  I had been intending to print some photos and send them to her, but it was put off.  It is too late now.  It was just a little thing, but it could have brightened her days, and I feel badly that I missed that opportunity.  It really wouldn't have taken THAT much effort.

How about you?  Are the important things getting crowded out?  As we are preparing to go from a household with one easy going child to become a household of four children in about a year and a half span - three of them with special needs and from a hard place  - it becomes obvious that I need to be more intentional about my days.  I need to do a better job of prioritizing and making sure the "little things" that really are important don't get crowded out.

I had already been reflecting upon this past year, and how to make the coming year one that really focuses on the important when I got my all too real reminder yesterday of the shortness of life.  Instead of "resolutions" which I seem to keep for maybe two weeks, I'm looking at goals for the coming year.  I'm actually taking a huge hunk of today - choosing the important over the urgent - to write out an evaluation of where I am and where I want to be in 2014.  I'm using the SMART approach to goal setting:

**S – specific
**M – measurable
**A – attainable
**R – realistic
**T – time-based

If you'd like to join in, Motherhood on a Dime had a good printable for mapping out goals FOUND HERE.

Then I came upon a "Do-able Life Change Plan" today and thought it was so good that I printed THREE COPIES to put in the places in my home where I will most frequently see them and be reminded.  These twenty-five points are explained in the post by the author, Ann.  Check it out.  You just may find something helpful here.  She has the printable reminders in a variety of colors! 

 25 Point Sanity Manifesto

Yes, this takes effort, but as I've heard a thousand times over in the homeschooling community, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."  Here's to a new year, with worthy goals and the focus on what is truly important.  I'd love to hear how you are planning to make this next year one that really counts.  Perhaps we can learn from each other!

We are REVIEWED!

I got an email from our China case manager this evening to tell me that the CCCWA's website had updated us to "reviewed" today!  This is great news, as our next step (which seems to come in a couple of weeks to most folks) is "match reviewed."  That will indicate that our dossier has been connected with Isaac's specific files, and the LOA has been issued!   Hurray!  One step closer!

Paper Chasing Six Months

My stats tell me that we have been paper chasing Isaac for six months now.  It seems like a long time, and I'm anxious for our boy to come home.

There is an illustration of the adoption process that is going around on Facebook.  This may help you to understand where we are in the process.  We're currently waiting on step #8.

While it may appear that we are just nearly at the half way point, once we receive our LOA (Letter of Acceptance) the steps are usually measured in days rather than in months or weeks.  The "average" wait for LOA is currently about two months, and we are on day 34.  If we can be average, we're over half way to our LOA.  I'm at the point where I jump when the phone rings, hoping it is our agency calling.  So if you call me and I sound disappointed, seriously, it is nothing personal!  :)

Update on Isaac

Shortly before Christmas we received an update on our sweet boy.  We had waited for this a couple of months, so were really glad to get a good report as well as two new pictures.  He looks healthy and happy, which did this Mama's heart good!  (Our agency doesn't allow us to post the photos, sorry.)

He is doing well health-wise and those details made up the most of the report.  But there were some little extra details that were included also.  

1. He enjoys going to school and is learning English.   HOORAY!

2. We knew he likes to play basketball, but were happily surprised to hear that he plays on the school basketball team.  There were no further details, so we don't know if there are other students playing from wheelchairs or not. 

3. He is reportedly a quiet child, and in this house of jabbering girls, we can sure use another listener!  They also reported that he gets along very well with others.

4. One thing that we didn't know about at all is that he plays a vertical flute - as in avidly - every day!  I wasn't at all familiar with the Chinese vertical flute, but it is a beautiful instrument.  Check this out to see how it sounds.

If you would like to know more about the instrument, here is a short video that tells all about it (This is not Isaac, btw)  One thing I know for sure is that if he doesn't own the flute he so faithfully practices every day, we'll be finding him one to bring home before we leave his country! 

Merry Christmas!

I love Christmas morning and the little sleepy heads that show up to open their stockings!

 

It was EXTRA fun this year having two children who had never experienced Christmas morning in this way before!  Tikvah has wanted to be a big sister for years, and they really needed one to show them the ropes this morning!

 

They figured out the routine pretty quickly!

Usually the Little Princesses are READY TO EAT.    Breakfast is very important to them, but today they just weren't interested even though I offered breakfast several times.

 

They are usually anxious to get dressed and have their hair brushed as well, but today were content to play with their new toys, and lounge around with their play cell phones!

 

Once they figured out that we weren't going to open the rest of the presents until we were ready for the day they quite willingly moved on.

 

It is our tradition to start with the youngest person and take turns opening gifts, one at a time.  It didn't take them long at all to figure out whose turn was next and to make sure that person stayed on track to keep things moving.

Our girls both came with an extreme fear of doctors.  Their gifts were strategically planned as they are both now doctors for their dolls.  Hopefully some "play therapy" will help them to overcome some of their anxiety.  Most of their other gifts were aimed at fine motor (OT and PT) skills, and helping them to learn the English words for animals, colors, etc.

Tikvah's favorite gifts were an art kit and face paint.

It is REALLY NICE to have little ones in our house again on Christmas morning.  God has blessed me very richly by letting me be their Mama.  Merry Christmas from our house to yours.  We hope you had a wonderful day!

 

This was part #3 of our Christmas celebrations with the Little Princesses.  

You will find Part One HERE  and  Part Two HERE

Visit some other families!  A Place Called Simplicity, Christmas links